


1971

by attemptingtothrive



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1970s, Biker Keith (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Lifeguard Lance (Voltron), M/M, Mechanic Hunk (Voltron), Romellura, Team as Family, Texan Keith (Voltron), Veteran Shiro (Voltron), but only because they/them pronouns weren't big back then, don't worry tho ok, why isnt biker keith a tag?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-08-01 12:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16284614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attemptingtothrive/pseuds/attemptingtothrive
Summary: Sleepy seventies beach towns are no match for an underpaid intern, an angsty biker, a one-armed veteran, a chef/mechanic, a photographer/lifeguard, a bored RadioShack employee, the weird guy working at the diner, and the lesbians next door.<+>drive fast. kick ass. fall in love.contains: cursing, violence, blood, fighting, gay, police. additional warnings will be given in notes needed.cross-posted on wattpad @ attemptingtothrive





	1. Race Ya

**Author's Note:**

> i got inspiration for this sitting on a school bus in the middle of the night. and from one outfit i really wanted lance to wear. enjoy!

The Dunedin, Florida speed limit was far slower than Pidge wanted to go.

Coincidentally, so was the minivan in front of her with the motorcycle strapped to the top.

She grunted and pulled around to the right of the minivan. She turned her head to see what kind of douchebag needed a whole ass motorcycle in addition to their car. A shock of white hair and a scar across the nose was seated in the passenger seat.

"Shiro!" Her eyes lit up at the sight of her older brother's best friend, who had become another brother to her.

Grinning from ear to ear, she rolled down her window and began to wave frantically. Shiro was completely oblivious to her attempts to get his attention.

She glanced at the road before trying to wave again. A red light was glaring at her from the electric line it hung from. She slammed on the brakes, scrunched her eyes shut, and braced for impact. She screeched to a halt just in time.

She relaxed and looked back over at Shiro's car. "Shiro you deaf doofus turn your head!" She yelled at him. The window stayed up and Shiro still didn't respond.

Pidge grabbed the plastic spoon that came with her Wendy's frosty and chucked it out the window at Shiro's car. It hit the window dead on, and clattered to the pavement.

Startled, Shiro finally turned. Pidge was still waving erratically. Bursting into a huge grin, Shiro waved his left (and only) arm back at her. Then he turned to the driver seat and said something. A man with long black hair and angry eyebrows looked out from around Shiro.

"Keith!" Pidge called. Shiro's younger brother's face softened into a devilish smile.

Keith looked back at the mostly empty road in front of them, then turned back to Pidge with an even more devilish smirk, "Race ya to Matt's."

"Keith, no," Shiro started, "Don't-"

He was cut off when the light turned and Pidge yelled back, "Deal."

Cackling, Keith and Pidge gunned their engines. Very aware of the lack of cops on this road, they shot off.

An age old dispute on the faster way to the Holt household caused them to go their separate ways at an intersection. Turning onto a different street, Pidge sped through the sleepy beach suburbs. The kids playing in their yards looked up from their games to watch her car fly by.

A familiar gray house on the corner came into view as pidge pushed the gas a little more. The same minivan she'd just turned away from was also hurtling down the street towards the house. She pulled into the driveway as Keith came to a stop by the street.

She was still stopping the car when she saw Keith sprinting across the lawn towards the door. After fumbling with her seatbelt, she threw open the car door and joined in the chase. She was just behind Keith bounding up the steps and was right behind him as he touched the door first.

"You cheated!" She jokingly spat. Keith laughed and ruffled her short, brown hair.

The door whipped open to reveal one beaming Matthew Holt. Looking at Pidge and Matt was like seeing double, except Matt was taller and had longer hair. Pidge leapt into her brother's arms.

Matt laughed, "Welcome home, nerd." He set Pidge down. She punched him in the arm.

"Look who's talking," Pidge shot back with a smile.

Shiro finally reached the top of the stairs, breathing heavily.

"Getting out of shape, Shiro?" Matt joked.

Catching his breath, Shiro looked up at his best friend with a totally serious face. "Yes."

They both smiled and bear hugged the other. "Damn, you still give great hugs even with one arm!" Matt joked. Shiro pulled away and smacked him in the back of the head.

Turning as if to give Keith a hug, Matt pulled Keith down into a head lock. Keith laughed as Matt dug his knuckles into Keith's hair. Keith shoved him away with a smile. "Did you get taller, Keith?" Matt asked, glaring at the top of Keith's head.

"Matt, it's been three years, so probably, yeah." Keith said.

The four of them laughed and relished in the company of one another, for it had been a while since they had the opportunity to. A pale yellow car pulled up to the curb, engine idling before shutting off. The door creaked open and a large dark skinned man stepped out. He had a yellow headband tied around his head and a permanent grin on his face.

Pidge bounded back down the stairs towards the man, shrieking his name, "Hunk!"

She launched herself at him, the sheer force of the jump was enough to push Hunk back despite his enormous size. The smile on his face cracked even wider as he laughed with the girl wrapped around his waist. "Pidge, I can't breathe," He wheezed as she squeezed him tighter with a chuckle. "Release!" He yelled as he pushed her away by the shoulders.

Both grinning, they climbed the steps. Hunk immediately introduced himself to Shiro and Keith.

"Hi there, my name is Hunk!" He held out his right hand to shake Shiro's hand. Then, eyes the empty space where Shiro's arm should be, he quickly switched hands. "Sorry about that," Hunk sheepishly apologized.

Shiro took Hunk's hand, "Don't be, everyone does it. My name's Shiro." He smiled reassuringly.

Hunk extended a hand to Keith. Keith looked at him for taking his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you." Keith grunted.

Shiro patted Keith on the shoulder, "This is Keith," He explained then turned to Matt "Who needs a summer job, do you know of anyone that's hiring?"

Pidge piped up "Hunk's garage is hiring, actually!"

"Yeah, we are! You know anything about cars and stuff?"

"Well, yeah, kinda." Keith shrugged.

"Don't be so humble, Keith," Shiro scolded, "He practically built that motorcycle strapped to our car from scratch!" He pointed at the minivan.

"Dude, you've got yourself an interview!" Hunk said. "I'll get Pidge to send you the address and stuff."

"Speaking of the car, Keith and I need to go get gas, we'll be back in a few." Shiro interjected. The two of them headed back to their minivan, with the motorcycle still strapped to the top.They pulled open the doors and stepped inside.

Pidge turned back to Hunk and her brother, "So Hunk, how much did you cook for Matt when I was gone?"

Matt's eyes widened in fear, and Hunk only laughed, "How much would get us in trouble?" Hunk asked.

"Depends." Pidge smirked.

"Maybe three times a week?" Hunk guessed.

Pidge smacked Matt on the arm, "You need to be self sufficient!" Facing Hunk, she smacked him in the same way, "You need to make him be self sufficient!"

The two boys just chuckled as Pidge crossed her arms.

"Pidge!" A voice yelled from the road. She turned to see a lanky tan boy on a bike (minus the helmet) intermittently waving and trying to keep the straw hat on his head. He quickly braked, leaning the bike and stepping off. He let it fall onto the ground. Both started to sprint towards each other, meeting in the middle of the front lawn. Lance lifted her feet off the ground and spun in a circle.

"You're late, Lance," She teased, squeezing Lance tighter around the waist, "I got here like ten minutes ago, asshole."

"Well soooorrry I didn't know," Lance joked and set her down, "Besides, I just had an interview, which I aced and got the job," Lance flexed his skinny arms and everyone laughed. Hunk and Matt had since joined them on the lawn. "Also, who was that pulling out of the driveway? They almost ran me over."

"That was Shiro and his brother. They're staying with Matt for the summer, remember?" Hunk reminded him.

"Oh, that's right." Lance remembered.

"Y'all want to stay for a little while?" Matt proposed. Pidge snickered at Matt's usage of the word "y'all". Matt stuck his tongue out at her.

Lance started, "I'm just here to say hi. I gotta go down to the newspaper. They want me to take some pictures for Flag Day."

"I took a late lunch break, so I need to be back at the garage soon. I wish I could, tho!" Hunk added.

The two of them headed back to their respective vehicles and left with a wave. The Holt siblings watched as they left.

Matt asked, "I've got new neighbors next door, wanna go say hi?"

Pidge responded, "Mmmmmm sure why not." She shrugged.

The nearly identical brother and sister trudged to the house next door. There were moving trucks in the driveway and a blonde woman was carrying a box from one of the truck to the front door.

"Need some help with that?" Matt asked.

The woman looked at him and sighed with relief, "That'd be fantastic!" She handed the box off to Matt and stretched her arms,  
"I'm Romelle. My roommate and I are moving in over here," he explained, "Allura, the neighbors are here!" She yelled in the direction of the house. A mop of dark skin and silver hair popped out from the doorway.

The dark skinned woman smiled and took the box from Matt, setting it against the wall opposite the door. She turned back around and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Allura! I see you've met my roommate, Romelle. Are you the neighbors?"

"Yeah! I'm Matt and this is my little sister. Pidge!" Matt shook Allura's hand; Pidge waved. "What brings you to Dunedin?"

"Well, my uncle lives here, and my father just, um, passed away, so we've relocated here." She replied.

"I'm sorry for your loss. How long have you two been together?" Pidge asked.

Both Romelle and Allura's heads shot up, faces flushing. They looked towards each other with nervous expressions.

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." Both Holts smiled at the couple, who immediately relaxed.

"Two years." Romelle replied.

"Though it feels like ten thousand." Allura teased.

"You know I'd willingly spend ten thousand years with you." Romelle shot back.

"Come inside so I can hug you, you sap." Allura called. Romelle bounced through the front door to her girlfriend. She snaked her hands around Allura's waist and pressed her forehead against hers. Allura brought her hands to Romelle's face and held her gently. She pecked her on the lips and squeezed her face. Romelle smiled through her squished up cheeks. Both fell into a fit of giggles.

Matt cleared his throat and the girls looked up, "If y'all are done, I'd like to invite you to dinner on Thursday at 6. A few of our friends come over every week and have dinner. We'd love it if you joined us!"

"Of course!" Allura replied. She was still holding Romelle's face and turned it towards the Holts, "Do we need to bring anything?"

"Nope, cooking is on us!" Matt said.

"Wonderful! See you then!" Allura waved. Romelle moved her hand from Allura's waist to wave as well and pulled the door closed.

Pidge and Matt began to walk back to their house, "How long do you think it'll take Lance to figure it out?"

Matt snickered, "Providing they don't get mushy at the table, probably never."


	2. Of Nuts and Bolts and Flags and Buoys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back, here’s a chapter?

"Hey Keith, wake up!" Shiro yelled, right in Keith's face. The dark haired boy jumped, knocking his head on the ceiling. 

Sitting there, rubbing his head, he grumbled "Fuck off, Shiro." 

"Watch your language," his stepbrother instructed, "You have the job interview today, you gotta get up."

Blinking slowly, Keith asked, "What day is it?"

"Today."

Keith grabbed his pillow and chucked it at his stepbrother, who ran away cackling. Keith huffed, "Seriously. What day is it?" 

"It's Saturday, time to get up."

"Why did I agree to an interview on a Saturday?" 

"Because you need a job. Besides, it's only 9:30 am." Shiro replied, shutting the door to their shared room. Keith hopped off the top bunk and landed on his feet, almost falling because he was still half asleep. 

He ambled to the bathroom down the hall and pulled out his hairbrush. He pulled it through his thick hair. It was an odd style, given to him by Shiro. There was only one barber shop in their small hometown of Marfa, Texas, and Shiro insisted they needed to save their money. Shiro cut his hair incredibly short and uneven in the front, and somehow left it somewhat longer in the back. Keith hadn't let anyone touch his hair in nearly a year, leaving him with long bangs wrapping too far around his head and a long section in the back. 

It took him a while to work the brush through his hair, leaving it extremely puffed out and soft. Glaring at his own hair, he grabbed the hair tie around his wrist and pulled his hair into a bun in the middle of his head. 

He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. He squeezed some of the mint green paste onto his brush, and furiously brushed his teeth.

With his toothbrush still in his mouth, he walked back to his room. He searched through the drawers he'd begrudgingly placed his clothes in. He picked up a simple black tee and a pair of skinny jeans. Setting them on the floor, he returned to the bathroom to spit out his toothpaste. 

He returned and replaced his pajamas with the outfit he'd picked out. Pulling on the jeans, he hopped around and wiggled his butt until the waist finally rose to where it normally sat. He reached for the red fake leather jacket he wore daily when Shiro popped into the doorframe. 

"You're gonna burn up wearing that, you know." Shiro pointed out. 

Not breaking eye contact with Shiro, Keith pulled his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. Shiro rolled his eyes and kept walking. Keith grabbed a pair of socks. 

Hopping down the stairs two at a time, Keith descended onto the first floor of the house. Matt was the only other one downstairs and he was puttering around in the kitchen. 

"Want some cereal before you go?" He offered. 

"Sure." Keith shrugged. 

Matt pulled down a box of Golden Crisp. Opening up the seemingly new box and sniffing it. He made a face and tossed it in the trash can. "Okay, maybe not."

Keith laughed and headed out the front door. He pulled the on the socks he had in his hands and put on the black boots he'd left outside the door, per Matt's instructions. 

He walked down the stairs and around the house to the garage. Between Shiro's minivan and Matt's car was Keith's motorcycle. The body was black, with a red stripe down the side. It shone like there was no tomorrow because Keith had spent the entirety of Friday afternoon polishing it. Keith ran his hand over the outline of the bike, admiring his handiwork. 

He grabbed the helmet sitting on the seat and pulled it on over his head. He straddled the bike and revved his engine. The tires gained traction on the pavement and he pulled away. 

The sound of his bike was nearly the loudest thing that had ever happened on the sleepy road. The engine purred loudly. Keith loved the feeling of riding his bike. He felt like he was flying and nobody could stop him. Like he could ride away from all his problems and cared. However, he hated stop signs, street lights, and speed bumps. They ruined the feeling by making him stop and wait. Then again, in a town of under three thousand, it wasn't like there were many other drivers to watch out for. 

He pulled out onto the slightly busier road and turned left. He watched the road pass him by and roll under his wheels, reveling in the feeling of defeating the road. The road was his bitch. 

Pidge has given him the address last night, which Keith has committed to memory. A few turns later, he was pulling into the small parking lot in front of a garage with a rustic sign reading "Garrett's Garage". 

At the sound of Keith's engine idling and then cutting off, a tall man who reminded him of Hunk walked out of the garage. Keith stepped over his bike so he was standing next to his bike. The man walked over to Keith with a smile on his face, "You must be Keith! I'm assuming this is your bike?"

"Yes sir, I made her myself." Keith replied, fondly looking at the motorcycle he stood beside. 

"She's gorgeous. She got a name?" The man asked. 

"I usually call her Red."

Eyeing the red stripe down the side, the man nodded, "Fitting. I'm Mr. Garrett, Hunk's father. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, sir." 

"If I could hire you based on skills alone, you'd have a job guaranteed. Why don't we talk in my office?" Mr. Garrett offered. 

"Sounds great." Keith smiled.

Mr. Garrett turned and led Keith through a door in the lobby to a small, cluttered room. The desk was covered in papers; spare nuts and bolts used as paperweights. Mr. Garrett sat behind the desk, while Keith took a seat in the chair on the other side. 

Mr Garrett grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and began to jot things down, "So, you're a friend of the Holt's?" 

"Yes sir, my older brother and Matt were roommates and best friends in college."

"You have any experience working on cars and such?" He asked. 

"Yes, when I was in college, I worked part time at a small garage just off campus." Keith added. 

Mr. Garrett jotted something down on the paper, "How good would you say your people skills are?"

Expertly holding back a laugh, Keith thought of all the times he'd kicked over other kid's sandcastles on the playground, "I'd say they're adequate, sir." 

"Keith, I think you're a great guy. How would you like to work here this summer?" Mr. Garrett leaned forward on his desk with a bright smile. 

"It would be an honor, sir!" Keith practically beamed. 

"Wonderful! Can you start Wednesday? If you've ever got time, I'd also love to look at your bike. I think Red's absolutely astonishing and I'd like to see what's inside."

Feigning possessiveness (but not really) Keith replied, "I don't know, sir. We've got a good thing going on. 

Mr. Garrett laughed, a good hearty laugh reminiscent of Hunk's. "Thanks for coming in! I'll see you Thursday!"

"Thank you, sir!" Keith walked out of the office, and ran into none other than Hunk. 

"Hey, Keith! How'd it go?" Hunk asked with his ever present smile. 

"I'm starting Thursday!" Keith replied. 

"Sweet! I'm looking forward to working with you, man!" Hunk wrapped Keith in a hug. 

"Same here!" Keith squeaked from inside the death grip. 

Hunk released and sent Keith on his way with a fist bump. 

<+>

Lance sat up straight, shocked out of sleep by his alarm clock. He looked over to press the snooze button and check the time. 

The clock read 8:35, giving him twenty five minutes to get ready, eat breakfast, and bike twenty minutes to the beach for lifeguarding.

Lance launched out of bed in a panic. He grabbed his red swim trunks and a white tee. He hopped down the hallway to the bathroom, where he nearly tripped trying to take off his pajamas and boxers. He jammed his toothbrush into his mouth and realized he forgot his toothpaste. 

He ran back to his room, where he discarded his pajama pants and grabbed his straw hat. This was his favorite hat. His family left it with him when they were forced back to Cuba. Being the youngest and the only one still in college, he stayed in the states to start a life. It had a flat top, a fairly wide brim and a blue band on it. Many years in the sun had faded the once bright tan straw to a muted beige. Still, he wore it every day and never left the house without it. 

Moments later, he was sprinting through the house that he and Hunk shared. He immediately turned around and ran towards his room, yelling, "I was about to leave without my shoes, how could I do this?" Grabbing his old sneakers, he restarted his race. Passing by Hunk, who sipped his cup of tea. 

"Toast is on the counter, Lance," Hunk called, "Don't forget your bag!" 

"Hunk how could I live without you?" Lance praises as he dropped onto his butt to pull the shoes on his feet. Once the dirty shoes were on his feet, Lance bounced up, grabbed the worn brown bag sitting by the door. 

Once outside, he leapt onto his bike, which always sat by the front door. Pedaling madly, he wheeled out of the driveway and onto the street. 

He tried his best to stay in the bike lane, while eating his toast, and keeping his hat on his head. This procedure resulted in a swerving bike rider and crumbs in his hat. 

Luckily, nobody was really on the road this early on a Saturday. That is, until he got to the beachfront area. Narrowly missing being a smudge on the ground, his bicycle made contact with sand and rolled into the bike rack. Lance grabbed the lock and chain that kept his bike from being stolen and locked the bike to the metal bars. 

Lance walked into a small hut, stopping at the front desk. It was a quaint beachside shop, with trinkets, souvenirs, and an assortment of t-shirts, "I'm Lance. I'm here to start lifeguarding today." He told the girl behind the desk. 

"Luxia is outside at the shed. It's the yellow building on the left." She said as she scribbled something on her desk. 

A tall pale woman was dragging buoys out of the shed. She was somewhat tan, with very thick pale blonde hair pulled into two low pigtails held away from her face by a headband.  
She noticed Lance and waved, "Lance! You're here," She glanced at the watch on her wrist, "Three minutes early!" She had a calming but authoritative voice. 

Lance awkwardly chuckled, "Wouldn't want to be late to my first day!"

"Right. Ok so we open at 8:30 and we need someone here at 8:15 to set buoys out, check tides, the weather, and whatnot. Usually, I do that, but if me or another head guard are not here by 8:20, you do it, ok?" Luxia explained. 

"Got it." Lance nodded. 

"We have four shifts every day. 8:30 to 11, 11 to 1:30, 1:30 to 4, and 4 to 6:30. When you're not working a shift, you'll help inside with the shop. If you're not working the 8:30 to 11 shift, you'll only need to be here before 10, when the shop opens. You only work one lifeguarding shift a day, so there are only ever four of us working each day. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." 

"I'll show you how to set the buoys out. The tides and weather are posted inside the hut.," Luxia instructed as she walked to the water, holding all five weighted buoys with her. "We set these out where this flag is," She pointed back at the flag in the dunes, "It also tells us which way the wind is blowing. And since we're by the pier, we set these parallel to every pillar. You got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Ok, go grab a raft, sunglasses, and whatever else you need. You're taking the first shift. The weather isn't so bad today, see? Barely any whitecaps," Luxia patted Lance on the shoulder, "I think you've got this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!!


	3. Cloudy Skies and Angry Guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sup
> 
> here’s a chapter to distract you from the leaks

Keith's hours at the garage were from nine to five. Since the interview, he had invested in alarm clock. Shiro was rarely up before ten, and therefore could not be trusted to wake Keith up in time. 

The alarm blared in his ear, and Keith nearly threw it across the room in frustration. Sleeping in sounded so much more appealing than working in a sweaty and stuffy garage, despite how nice the Garretts were. 

An alarm clock was not the only thing he bought. He'd also gotten some overalls to wear at work, some t-shirts he could get dirty without worrying about, and a boat load of hair ties. 

He grabbed a red shirt and black overalls and put them on. He put some socks on and headed downstairs. 

Keith snooped around the kitchen, trying not to wake everyone else up. He grabbed the apple that looked the least bruised and tiptoed to the door. 

Keith was almost all the way out the door before Shiro stopped him, "Keith, you've been holed up here since you got back from your interview on Saturday. You need to do something." Keith hadn't noticed the absence of his sleeping brother in the bunk below him. 

"I'm going to work. Isn't that enough?" Keith asked. 

"No. You should go to the beach after work." Shiro decided. 

"Oooh, I can't. No swimsuit, remember?" Keith said with a sly grin. 

"That's where you're wrong," Shiro said with a defiant air. He tossed the plastic bag he was holding at Keith, "I got you one from that surf shop."

Keith looked inside the bag and grimaced, "Shiro, I don't like blue!" He whined. 

"They didn't have red, so, sucks," Shiro shrugged, "Now, if you don't smell like saltwater, are sunburnt, or are covered in sand by the time you get home, I'm hiding the TV antenna."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me, Keith."

Keith scowled and stuffed the plastic bag into the black backpack he had sling around his shoulder, "I can't believe you. Asshole."

Shiro stuck out his tongue at Keith, who rolled his eyes and slammed the door.

"Fuckin' douche. I don't wanna go to the beach. Goddammit fucking hell." Keith muttered to himself and mounted his bike, pulling the helmet over his head. The engine purred and the bike sped out of the driveway and onto the street. 

Cars whipped by, fluttering the hair sticking out of the bottom of Keith's helmet. The baggy material of his black canvas overalls making noise as he cut through the air. 

He pulled into the parking lot of Garrett's Garage, where Hunk walked out to meet him, "Hey! I'm gonna show you the ropes real quick before we open. Come on in!"

Keith hopped off his bike and followed Hunk through one of the garage doors.

There were two of the large doors. Each had a lift just inside. The building had gray cement walls with drawers and a large rack of tools covering the back one. 

"So, I'm assuming you know how to work most of this stuff, it's all pretty standard," Hunk began, "But the lift is a little finicky, so be patient with it. We don't really have a uniform here, so what you're wearing is perfect, though you might want to tie your hair back."

"Got it." Keith replied. He gathered his hair and pulled it back into a bun.

"You'll be working on this side. There's a sign in and sign out sheet by the wall and also logs for you to keep track of how much you've worked." Hunk pointed to a clipboard and pen hanging from the wall, "That should be pretty much it, parts and tools are labeled in drawers or on hooks on the wall and every so often we power wash the floors. If you have any questions, I'm working right over here and my dad will be working the front desk."

"Will do." Keith nodded. 

"This is a huge help. You know, my dad's getting older and it's harder for him to get under cars and bend over to look under the hood all day. Plus, my younger brothers aren't old enough to help out yet, so it's gonna be nice to have someone else helping out." Hunk explained. 

Hunk's heartfelt explanation brought a rare, genuine smile to Keith's face, "I'm happy to help." 

<+>

Lance walked through the doors of the hut and headed to the back room. He studied that day's schedule, and found he was working the very last shift. 

He dropped his bag on the floor in the corner, then pulled out the official shirt he had to wear. It was plain white with a logo of a wave and blue words molding inside of it, reading "Luxia's Lifeguarding and Beach Services". He removed his other shirt and pulled on the work one. 

Luxia opened the door and poked her head in, "Work the register today until 11, then go help at the snack bar."

"Yes ma'am." He replied. 

By the time 11:00 rolled around, Lance was bored with working the register, and was thankful to move to the snack bar. 

By the time 4:00 rolled around, Lance was itching to get out of his stiff t-shirt and onto the beach. 

By the time 5:30 rolled around, dark clouds began to cover the sky and the wind picked up. Copious amounts of whitecaps dotted the choppy waves. Lance brought his whistle to his lips and blew, making a harsh sound. 

Parents began to call their kids out of the water, who collectively groaned as they trudged out of the surf. However, not one family left the beach. 

Lance removed the green flag from the pole attached to his lifeguard chair. He stuffed it back into the pouch attached to the armrest and pulled a red one out, clipping it to the carabiners on the side of the pole. 

Only a few minutes had passed when a pale man walked out on the sand, staring at his feet and kicking sand around him. Lance watched him as he found a place to set his stuff. He wore his swim trunks, but also a pair of combat boots, a combination that seemed strange to Lance. The man dropped his bag in the sand, kicked off his boots and removed his shirt. Lance couldn't say the man wasn't attractive, and Lance became transfixed. 

The man kept walking towards the water. Distracted by his toned back, Lance's eyes followed him.

A particularly powerful gust of wind flapped the flag beside Lance, making the carabiners clang against the metal and snapping Lance out of his trance. Realizing that the water wasn't safe, Lance blew his whistle at the man about to step into the water. 

The man looked back, and Lance pointed at the flag. He had a black grease smudge on his cheek. The man shrugged, flipped Lance off, and started to wade into the water. Shocked, Lance could only blow his whistle at him louder. He looked back with an angry, but beautiful, face. Lance yelled, "Get out of the water!" angrily. 

The man rolled his eyes, but walked back to his stuff. He picked it up and started walking off the beach, glaring at Lance the entire time. 

<+>

Keith busted through the door. Shiro was sitting on the couch. He looked up from his book and asked with an accusatory tone, "Keith why are you back so early?"

Suddenly, thunder rattled the windows; it could be felt shaking the house to its core. Lightning illuminated the room. 

"That's why," Keith grunted, "The wind was really bad at the beach and I couldn't go in the water. Plus, the sand was flying in my eyes."

"Oh," Shiro said, "Well, go wash your face, you've got some grease on your right cheek."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!


	4. Nobody in this Chapter Knows How to Behave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this might be my favorite chapter that i’ve ever written oh my god

Lance whipped the door open, "Guess who's here!" he yelled. 

"Something tells me it's you." Pidge dryly stated, not looking up from her crossword puzzle. 

"Wow, Pidge! How'd you figure that one out?" Lance feigned surprise and put his hands on his hips. Pidge rolled her eyes. Lance walked over towards the large dining table Pidge was seated at and sat down at the head of the table, facing away from the door. 

Hunk walked out of the kitchen with a plate of carrots, celery, and ranch. He looked over at Lance and smiled, "Hey! I thought you had work?"

"The weather's been so bad today that nobody has been at the beach or the store today. So, Luxia let me off early." Lance shrugged. 

He grabbed a carrot, dipped it in the ranch and took a bite. He was about to reach back towards the ranch to dip his carrot again, but Pidge slapped his hand away, yelling "Hey, hey hey hey! No!"

Shiro thumped down the stairs into the living room, rubbing his eyes, "What's going on? What time is it?" 

"Shiro, this is my friend Lance. He's Hunk's roommate," Pidge explained to the half-awake Shiro, "He's here early for dinner." Lance put on a big smile and waved at Shiro. 

"Alright, nice to meet you, then." Shiro waved back and continued to rub the sleep out of his eyes. 

Matt walked through the door, still wearing his RadioShack polo and khaki pants. He called to the living room, "Hey!" He looked at Shiro and made a quizzical face, "Did you just wake up, or something?"

"Actually yeah. After lunch I passed out and took a three hour death nap." Shiro shrugged and sat down next to Pidge, across from Hunk. Matt plopped down next to Hunk. 

Lance cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of everyone else at the table, "I have a story for you guys, which is imperative to your health and safety to hear, alright?" Lance struck a dramatic pose, leaning forward and pressing his hands to the table on each side of him. 

"If it's so important, then why are you bothering with the theatrics?" Pidge quipped. 

Lance rolled his eyes and said, "Because I'm an artist. Let me tell the story!"

Pidge waved her hand, "By all means, continue."

Lance shot her a look before starting, "So you know how the weather got super bad at like 5:30 yesterday?"

The group nodded. Out of the corner of Pidge's eye, she could see something pulling into the driveway. 

"So I decided to call everyone out of the water because it wasn't safe, as a good lifeguard would do." Lance continued. 

Keith's head showed up in the window of the door. 

"But then this guy walks onto the beach, wearing combat boots and swimming trunks! Who wears that kind of stuff?"

Keith slowly opened the door, making no noise. He stood inside the room watching Lance tell his story. He was too animated to notice Pidge and Shiro look up at Keith and wave him over. 

"And he tries to walk right into the water, when the flag is clearly red, not green! So I blow my whistle at him, and he turns around."

Keith cocked his head and looked at Lance incredulously. 

"And he flips me off! There were nearly dozens of kids on the beach! He could have made such a bad impression on them! I thought I was gonna get fired!"

Keith squinted at Lance. 

"Then I blow my whistle at him, again, and he finally leaves." Lance sits back in his seat. 

"Wow, what a douche," Keith grunts. Lance whips his head around to find the voice, "I'm gonna go change."

Lance looks at Keith and it takes a second for the realization to set in. Lance looks shocked for a split second, then glares at Keith as he walks out of the room and up the stairs. 

Shiro begins to apologize for his brother's moodiness, "Sorry about-"

Shiro is immediately cut off by an angry Hunk, "Lance, what is your problem? That was rude!"

"What's my problem? What's his problem?! He's the asshole who flipped me off at the beach!" Lance indignantly argues, crossing his arms. 

The group sits in silence for a good ten seconds before Shiro stands up, "I'm gonna go talk to him." He follows the path Keith had taken up the stairs. 

The four of them sat in silence until Shiro left the room, then Pidge let out a huge laugh, "Ha! Keith flipped you off? Why am I not surprised?" Pidge doubled over, giggling intensely, "Are you sure?"

"He's got the same shitty haircut." Lance pouted. 

Hunk put his head in his hands and tried to silence his laugh, his back shaking. He looked up and wiped his eyes, trying to wipe away tears of laughter. 

Matt was sitting there silently in his seat, lips pursed and eyebrows raised. He then began to cackle loudly, doubling over and clutching his belly.

Lance sat there, sulking, while his friends had a grand time busting their asses laughing. 

<+>

"Keith! You can't just flip people off at random!" Shiro was fuming, "Especially in public! That's called being rude!"

"Well sorry!" Keith rolled his eyes, "But he was being rude first."

"He was doing his job! He's a lifeguard! Do you not understand the concept of a lifeguard?!" Shiro loudly asked. 

Keith threw his hands out, "We live in the middle of the desert!"

Shiro let out a frustrated groan. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "We're gonna go back downstairs and you're gonna apologize to Lance for being a dick, alright?"

Keith crosses his arms and pouted, "Fine."

Shiro motioned for Keith to leave the room. He trudged out and down the stairs, with Shiro behind him. The stairs creaked under their feet. He finally reached the bottom step and turned into the dining room, where four heads turned to look at him. 

Hunk and the Holts looked at him with amusement and anticipation. Lance looked at him with slightly knitted eyebrows. His cornflower blue eyes were clouded with frustration. 

Keith felt his face flush, and grumbled his apology, "Sorry for being a dick."

"It's cool, just don't do it again or I might get fired." Lance replied with an indiscernible tone. Keith sat down beside Matt, while Shiro sat at the head of the table. 

Awkward silence fell over the group. Everyone was either watching Keith or Lance, except for them. Both boys were staring at the table, slowly turning red. 

The doorbell chirped and Matt leapt up from the uncomfortable lack of conversation, "That must be the neighbors!" He sprinted towards the door and pulled it open with a little too much force, revealing a dark skinned woman with white hair and the pale blonde woman beside her, "Hey! Come on in!"

The two women stepped into the house. Pidge waved and they waved back, "Guys, this is Allura," Pidge gestured to the woman with dark skin and white hair, "And Romelle," Then to the blonde, "They just moved in next door."

"This is Hunk, Keith, Shiro, you know Pidge, and-" Matt began to introduce everyone, motioning to them in turn. 

Lance stood up from the table and walked up to Allura, and grabbed her hand, "The name's Lance, and it's a pleasure to meet you." He smiled and brought her hand to his mouth, planting a small kiss on the back. 

Allura made a face at Lance's flirting, "Oh, uh, that's interesting," She said, immediately grabbing Romelle's hand and walking around Lance. Pidge kicked Keith out of his spot on the bench he was sitting on, and made him go sit on the other side of the table beside Matt. Lance still looked confused by Allura's comment. 

Allura and Romelle sat down beside Hunk, who offered a reassuring smile and an apology for Lance's actions, "Sorry about him, he doesn't have self control."

Lance stuck his tongue out at Hunk. A sharp ringing noise came from the kitchen. 

"The lasagna is ready!" Hunk exclaimed. Keith watched as Hunk rose from the table to go into the kitchen and take out the lasagna. "Pidge, could you come grab the salad for me?"

Pidge stood up and walked over to Hunk. He whispered something in her ear, then she nodded, glancing and Romelle and Allura. Pidge grabbed the wooden bowl on the counter and walked back to the table, with Hunk right behind her.

Hunk set the lasagna down and grabbed a knife. He began to cut it into squares, then removed them one by one. He set a square on everyone's plate, leaving his own for last. "Dinner is served! Dig in, you animals." 

Keith grabbed his fork and stabbed his lasagna with slightly too much force, easily cutting through the food. He grabbed the piece he'd cut off, and lifting it to his mouth. The lasagna melted in his mouth, leaving a rich and amazing flavor. Keith smiled and swallowed his food. "Hunk, this is amazing, oh my god how did you make this?"

Hunk smiled at the kind words, "Pffft, it's nothing. See the trick is to undercook the noodles a little bit before you layer them in. They finish cooking in the oven and you don't get soppy lasagna!" 

"Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about but if it makes it taste good, I'm down." Lance spoke through a mouthful of lasagna, then shot a wink at Allura, pulling her out of a silent, but clearly funny, conversation with Romelle. Both were quietly giggling with hands over their mouths. 

Keith squinted in confusion, then leaned over to whisper to Matt, "Are they like-?" Before he could finish, Matt was already nodding. 

Next to Keith at the head of the table, Shiro furrowed his eyebrows, then moved his head towards the two girls in silent questioning. Keith nodded back in response, leaving one oblivious person at the table. 

The dinner was gone in minutes, leaving empty serving dishes on the table. Everyone was content. 

"So, do we have any dessert?" Lance asked. 

Pidge groaned, "How can you even think about dessert? We all just stuffed ourselves worth Hunk's lasagna from heaven."

"It's not my fault I have a separate dessert stomach!" Lance protested, earning endearing groans from the group. 

"We don't have any. I forgot to grab ice cream at the store, today. Sorry" Matt spoke up while rubbing his belly. 

"Damn." Lance mumbled, his voice sounding quieter and lazier. Keith watched his eyelids began to droop. So did Hunk. 

"Ok, get up, we're going home; you look like you're about to pass out right here." Hunk stood up and began to drag Lance out of his chair. 

"I can stand on my own, believe it or not." Lance argued, shaking off Hunk's hands and standing up.

Hunk grabbed his bag from by the door and Lance did the same. Hunk began to open the door when Lance spoke up, "Wait! I have one more question!" All eyes turned to Lance, "Allura, do you by any chance have a boyfriend?"

A chorus of groans rose from the table. Allura looked mildly uncomfortable, but mostly amused. Hunk finally said, "They're lesbians, Lance."

Shocked realization fell over Lance's face. His mouth dropped open and his eyes grew wider than his mouth, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! If i had known-" Hunk grabbed Lance by the back of the collar and pulled him out of the house and towards the car. Lance was still rattling off his apologies. 

The remaining five bust out laughing. Shiro was wiping tears form his eyes and Keith was holding his belly. Pidge was the first to get proper words out, "I'm so sorry about him." She managed to get in before cackling again. 

"It's alright, she gets it all the time." Romelle smiled and grabbed Allura's hand under the table. Neither of them could contain their laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!!


	5. Cinnamon Rolls Come Before Makeovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry guys i’ve been a busy bitch i just finished a school play (i was phoebe in as you like it by shakespeare) and this week was hell. 
> 
> we’re not gonna talk about season 8 ok o haven’t finished it but i know how it ends and i’m depress

Lance's usual entrance was not appropriate for this occasion. The sun was barely over the horizon when he entered the Holt household. He crept through the door, watching it close so as so not make any noise. He slowly turned around, and was startled to see another person awake at this ungodly hour. 

"Why are you here so early?" Shiro whisper-yelled from his seat at the kitchen table, coffee mug in hand. 

Lance replied, "Pidge and I are gonna hang out today. She promised all day so I'm here bright and early."

Shiro nodded, "Go ahead, but if Keith or Matt wakes up, they'll murder you."

Lance mouthed a quick 'thank you' before creeping up the stairs. He tiptoed towards Pidge's door, which was labeled with a biological hazard sign. He slowly opened the door, wincing when it creaked. Lance sidestepped into the room. Pidge was laid on her back horizontally on her bed, one hand above her head and the other resting on her stomach. Lance stealthily circled the bed, then launched himself onto the mattress beside her. 

Pidge flew several inches into the air and screamed as she woke up. She landed back on the covers. She looked over at Lance, who had a stupid grin on his face. She crinkled her eyebrows and looked at her watch, "Lance! It is 6:45 am why in the fuck are you here?!" She yelled. 

Lance flipped over to his back and shrugged, "You said we were hanging out today, so I figured why not make it all day?"

"I didn't mean sunrise to sunset!" She exclaimed. 

"Uh, sunrise was fifteen minutes ago." Lance replied with a smug grin. Pidge glared at him and shoved his shoulder. 

"You're so stupid, oh my god." She laughed. Lance sat up and got off the bed, and began to ruffle through Pidge's closer. 

"So what are we doing today?" He asked and pulled out a green dress from the back of  Pidge's closet, "We could play dress up," He walked over to her dresser, where her never-used makeup was sitting, "Or do makeovers!" 

Pidge groaned, "I thought we were gonna go the arcade or something?"

"Nope. I'm broke. Besides, the arcade is like five miles away and I only have a bike and I don't trust your driving."

"I'm a great driver!" 

Lance shot her an 'are you really?' look and continued searching. "You sure you don't wanna do makeovers?"

"Makeovers it is," She gave in. "But neither of us know how to do makeup."

"Excuse me, I am a phenomenal makeup artist!" Lance gasped. 

"No you're not. Let's call Allura and Romelle." Pidge suggested. She reached over to the landline sitting by her bed and dialed a number. She held the phone to her face for a few seconds before someone answered. She clicked a button and the phone was on speaker. 

"Hello, who is this?" Allura asked from the phone. 

"It's Pidge, from next door."

A faint "It's Pidge" could be heard from the other end. Allura replied, "Hey, Pidge, what's up?"

"So Lance and I are hanging out today and he wants to do makeovers but neither of us know how to do makeup. Would you and Romelle please help us?"

Allura mumbled something to Romelle, who mumbled in return. "We'll be right over with our makeup. You and Romelle probably are the same shade." Pidge looked at Lance in confusion. Lance only shrugged.

"Thank you!" Pidge thanked her. 

"See you then." Allura replied. The phone clicked as she hung up, and Pidge did the same.

"So, now what?" Lance asked, hands in his pockets and rolling back on his heels. 

"We wait, I guess?" Pidge shrugged and flopped back down into the bed. 

Only moments passed before there was a knock at the door. The two of them scrambled out of the bedroom. They hopped down the steps as quickly and quietly as they could. They dashed towards the door. Lance was still wearing socks and skidded over the slick hardwood floor and right into the wall beside the door. Through the window in the door, their neighbors could be seen, large bags in hand. 

Pidge opened the door, "Hi! You got here quickly!" Allura was beaming, but behind her, Romelle was yawning and still looked half asleep. 

"Of course, we couldn't miss out on makeovers!" Allura was smiling ear to ear with excitement. Romelle was still yawning, and loudly at that. Allura elbowed her, and she immediately looked alive, awake, alert and enthusiastic. 

"Mmm, yes, makeovers." Romelle mumbled. 

"Come in, just be quiet. Matt and Keith are still sleeping." Pidge said. 

The four of them tread lightly across the floor and towards the stairs. Shiro was still seated at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. He waved at them as they passed by. The stairs creaked under the weight of four people, causing everybody to pause every ten seconds. Pidge led the way to her room, and when they arrived, Allura gasped. 

"Pidge! Your room is a mess!" She exclaimed. 

Pidge replied, "Yeah, well, I haven't been home since Christmas, so I guess I have an excuse."

"You do have a point." Allura said. 

Lance spoke up, "Ooh, I forgot, Hunk is bringing breakfast at 7:30, so maybe we should get everyone up and do makeovers afterwards."

Pidge whipped her head around, "Wait, what's he bringing?" Hunk's breakfasts were one of the only reasons anyone ever got up early. 

"Cinnamon rolls." Lance smirked. 

Pidge's mouth dropped open and she gasped, "Really?"

"Really." Lance nodded. 

"Sorry, Allura. Cinnamon rolls come before makeovers," Pidge pumped her fist. "We have to get everyone up! Lance, wake up Keith, and I'll handle Matt. Allura, Romelle, Shiro is downstairs if you want to join him."

"But I barely know Keith! Plus I think he already hates me anyways." Lance whined. 

"He doesn't. Also, Matt is a bitch when he has to be woken up." Pidge walked towards the door. 

"Ugh, fine!" Lance groaned and walked into the hall. Pidge walked to the left, while Lance headed right, where the guest room used to be. He slowly opened the door to find a bunk bed. The bottom bunk was neatly made, but the top bunk was a mess. A single red blanket was strewn over a pale body. A tangled mop of black hair was at the end of the bed, face buried in the pillow. Lance watched Keith's chest rise and fall before trying to wake him up. 

Lance shook Keith's shoulder. Nothing happened. He poked Keith's ear. Still nothing. "Wake up!" Lance yelled at the top of his lungs. Keith spasmed. He thrashed around, trying to untangle himself from the blanket, and fell off the side of the bunk, which had no rail. Keith fell on the floor at Lance's feet, while Lance watched in shock. 

"Jesus Christ! What are you doing here? And why are you waking me up so goddamn early?" Keith coughed. Falling on his back onto the thick carpet knocked the wind out of him. 

"I'm hanging out with Pidge today and Hunk is bringing breakfast. I was told to wake you up," Lance stated dryly. His throat felt dry. Maybe it was because Keith was laying on the floor wearing only a pair of pajama pants and Keith was definitely not unattractive. Nope, that wasn't it. Lance held out his hand to help Keith up. Keith took it and stood up. Up close, Keith was just barely taller than Lance. He could see the scar across his jaw as well. "We should probably go downstairs."

The silence was awkward before Keith responded, "Sure." The two boys walked out of the room and into the hallway; they looked over towards Matt's bedroom. Pidge was jumping on the bed beside Matt and screaming. 

"Wake up you crusty maggot!" She screeched. Lance nodded. 

"I forgot she does that." Lance started to walk towards the stairs. 

"Wait, you mean this is a regular occurrence?" Keith asked incredulously. 

"Yeah, Matt is a super heavy sleeper. Usually, he wakes up on his own, but sometimes Pidge has to do this," He gestured to where Pidge was sitting to the side of Matt and flicking his ear. "You're welcome to stay and watch the Holt Shitshow, but I'm going downstairs." Lance began to lower himself down the stairs and Keith followed. 

Shiro waved them over into the kitchen. Both of them walked over to the counter and leaned against it. Romelle and Allura were seated beside Shiro, who spoke first, "So, Lance, what do you do? I mean, besides lifeguarding?"

"Well, I do photography. Usually a local newspaper will hire me to take pictures for an event or something." Lance explained. A grin began to grow on Shiro's face. 

"So I guess you're a freeLANCE photographer, then?" Shiro was beaming, incredibly proud of his pun. Keith groaned, clearly having had enough of his brother's puns. Allura and Romelle began to laugh as Lance's face melted into a neutral expression. Keith and Shiro watched for his reaction. 

Lance began to wheeze, "That was the best thing I've ever heard, oh my god," Lance laughed, barely catching his breath, "Shiro, you're my new favorite person." Lance reaches his hand over Keith to give Shiro a fist bump, who happily obliged. Keith rolled his eyes. 

A sharp thud resounded in the walls from upstairs, "Matt's up," More thudding could be heard as Matt descended the staircase. "He's alive!" Shiro teased when Matt walked into the room. 

"I only got out of bed because Hunk is bringing cinnamon rolls." Matt squinted at Shiro, who cracked a smile. 

"So what do we do until Hunk gets here?" Romelle asked, reaching her hands over her head to stretch and yawn. 

"We could watch TV?" Lance suggested. 

Pidge shook her head, "No, the only thing that's on at this hour is cartoons  Last time I checked, none of us were eight."

Matt started to get defensive, "Hey, those cartoons are still cool. Especially those Japanese ones with the English subtitles."

Everyone looked at Matt with mild concern and confusion. Pidge chuckled, "Fuckin' nerd."

Silence fell over the group until Lance spoke up, "We should probably put plates and silverware out for everyone."

Everyone bustled around the kitchen. Soon, eight plates and eight sets of silverware were set around the table. None of it was matching. Lance crinkled his eyes in concentration as he counted it all, "Wait! There's too many sets! There's only seven of us and there's eight spots!"

"One of them is for Hunk, duh." Keith retorted. 

"Oh," Lance frowned. "Oops," There was a bright ring from the door and Lance bounded to the door to open it. "Hunk! You and your cinnamon rolls are here!"

"Yes, I am. Now let's hurry up and serve them before they get cold." Hunk gently edged Lance out of the way and headed towards the counter. Everyone grabbed their plates and followed. Hunk grabbed a spatula and scooped out the rolls one by one. The gooey icing left small streaks on the plates and in the pan. 

Lance and Keith were the last in line. When Lance got his cinnamon roll, he grabbed a cup of water. When he turned around, the only seat left was beside. He furrowed his brow and sat down beside the boy. 

The cinnamon rolls were gone in no time flat. Soon, everyone was chattering about something different. Hunk turned to Pidge and Lance, "So what are you doing today?"

"We're gonna do makeovers with Allura and Romelle, then I'm gonna make Pidge try on the nice clothes she never wears." Lance answered, elbowing Pidge in the side. 

"You're welcome to join us!" Pidge invited pleading eyes. 

"Yeah! Join us!" Lance agreed with a bright smile, "Wait, why doesn't everyone join us! It'll be lots of fun! We could all hang out and stuff!"

A chorus of agreement rose from the table. "If everyone is done, we should go ahead and get started." Pidge stood up with her plate. Everyone followed, setting their plates in the sink. They filed upstairs and into Pidge's bedroom. 

"Are we ready to begin the makeover?" Romelle asked, holding up her bag of makeup with a sly smile. 

Pidge sighed, "Ready as I'll ever be!" 

"Can I pick out your outfit, Pidge?" Allura asked, already inching towards the closet. 

"Go wild." Pidge responded, eyes closed as Romelle began to brush something onto her face. 

"Wonderful," Allura smiled as she dove into the closet. "Lance, there's a bunch of nail polish in the pink bag on the other side of the big one. Why don't you paint everyone's nails?"

Lance grinned and lunged for the bag  "I used to paint my sisters' nails all the time!" He grabbed Hunk's hand and a pale yellow from the bag. He slowly started to paint the polish onto Hunk's short nails. 

Matt, Keith, and Shiro sat back on Pidge's bed and watched the chaos unfold. Allura was tossing clothes over her shoulder left and right. Romelle was digging for something in her makeup bag while Pidge strained her neck to see what was on her face in the dresser mirror. Lance was very meticulously painting Hunk's nails and biting his bottom lip. He swiped the brush over Hunk's thumb and looked up. 

"I'm done! Who's next?" Lance announced. 

"Do Pidge's, while she's holding still!" Matt yelled. Pidge shot him a look as well as she could while keeping her face slack. Lance grabbed a dark green polish and began to paint Pidge's nails.

"Keith, what do you think?" Allura asked, holding up a ruffled pink blouse. 

"What? What is it?" Pidge clamored, trying to turn her head to see what Allura was holding. However, Romelle held Pidge's face in place. "If it's that godforsaken pink monstrosity, I'm never gonna wear it."

Keith and Allura laughed. Allura placed the blouse back in the closet and pulled out a light green shin-length dress. Everyone nodded in approval while Pidge looked around in confusion. 

Romelle has just started applying eyeshadow when Lance finished Pidge's nails, "Anybody else?" He asked. 

Keith was the only one to volunteer, "Could you paint mine red?" Lance placed the green polish back in the bag. He dug around until he found a blood red color. He sat on the bed next to Keith and picked up his hand. Keith watched intently as Lance painted his nails, "You missed a spot."

Lance glanced up at Keith and glared at him. He then returned to the task at hand. 

Romelle grabbed one last tube of lipstick, rolled it up, and swiped it over Pidge's lips. The pinkish-red shade was the last step. "I'm finished! Pidge, close your eyes. Matt, go stand in front of the mirror." Matt hopped off the bed and stood to block Pidge's view of the mirror. Romelle stood up and guided Pidge by the shoulders out of the room with Allura close behind, holding the outfit that Pidge was to wear. 

Once outside, Allura instructed Pidge on what to do, "Take these, go into the bathroom and change. Then come back in so we can see!" Allura and Romelle returned to the bedroom. 

A faint "Oh my god." was heard from the bathroom, causing everyone to laugh. 

A few moments passed before Pidge knocked at the door, "I'm ready." She sounded wary and disgusted. Shiro stood up and opened the door, revealing a disgruntled Pidge. 

Everyone gasped. The green dress was more ankle-length than shin-length and it was a bit baggy in the torso. However, it was still stunning. Pidge crosses her arms and looked to the side with a frown. Lance immediately took notice, "Pidge, the dress looks great on you. But you look so uncomfortable that it's kind of making me depressed. Please go change." Lance's request brought laughter and agreement. Pidge smiled. 

"Gladly." She grinned as she turned around and walked back to the bathroom. 

"Could you please finish my nails?" Keith complained. Lance turned back around. 

"Damn, be patient. I'm on the last finger, geez," Lance said, earning a dramatic sigh from Keith. Lance pulled the brush over Keith's fingernail one last time and put it back in the bottle, screwing it shut, "There. Happy now?"

Keith put his hands up to examine his nails and shrugged, "Could be worse." Keith smirked.

Lance rolled his eyes, then put his own middle finger in Keith's face, "Fuck you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need for validation and are always appreciated!!


	6. Raised in a Barn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i know it’s been three months but gotdamn ive been busier than normal

"Why are we at the diner instead of Matt's house, again?" Hunk asked, sitting down at the booth next to Pidge. 

"Because the house is getting sprayed for termites and Allura's uncle owns this place." Pidge explained, passing a menu to Hunk. 

Hunk's jaw dropped, "Wait, the guy with the red mustache is Allura's uncle?"

"Not by blood, though. Her dad and him were best friends. Before he moved here, they were business partners." Pidge sipped at her soda. The bell above the door rang as Shiro and Matt walked in. They looked around the diner for a second before they spotted Hunk and Pidge. They walked through the seating area and sat down. 

Matt grabbed a menu and dramatically fanned his face, "God, it's so hot out, I can't handle it."

"This is nothing compared to Marfa, trust me. It's too hot for squirrels." Shiro shrugged. 

"Wait, you don't have squirrels?" Hunk stared with wide eyes. 

"Nah. I'd never seen one until I got to college." Shiro closed his menu. 

"He's right. You should've seen him when he first saw one. We were sitting in our dorm and Shiro was by the open window and one crawled onto a branch by the window and leaped onto the windowsill. Shiro lost his shit! He started freaking out and almost threw his book out the window. We kept the window closed after that," Matt laughed

"Sadly, this is true." Shiro's eyes crinkled with laughter. 

The bell clinked again as Allura and Romelle walked in. "Coran!" Allura called and a redhead man with a mustache and crow's feet around his eyes from smiling too much popped his head out of the kitchen. His eyes lit up and he threw off his apron to greet the girls. 

"Allura! You've grown so much! It seems like yesterday that you were the size of a very large toad!" Coran wrapped Allura in a bear hug and Romelle was still trying to decipher Coran's exclamation. Coran gestured to the table full of people "Are these your friends?" 

"Yes! This is Pidge and Matt, they're brother and sister, as well as our neighbors. Shiro and his brother are staying with them. Hunk and Lance, who isn’t here yet, are their good friends." Allura motioned to each of them in turn. 

"Well, it's wonderful to meet all of you! I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything! Dinner's on the house, tonight." Coran waved and turned to walk back into the kitchen. 

"He's...quirky." Shiro quipped. Allura snorted. 

"Yeah, he's always kinda been that cool uncle to me." Allura laughed. 

The girls sat down, leaving two seats open in the already crowded booth. 

Lance opened the door, an incredibly bright smile entering before he did. He slid into the only side of the booth that was open, right next to Shiro. "Y'know, for the first sunny day in at least a week, it was so quiet at the beach, today! I only had to blow my whistle twice!" 

"Setting the bar real high, Lance," Pidge chuckled. "Real high."

"Kids can be a pain in the you-know-what. I gotta take what I can get," Lance waved over a waiter.

A built young man with bright blue eyes and a notepad in his hand walked over. His name tag read 'Blaytz'. "What can I get for you?" He asked, a cocky smile playing across his lips. 

"Can I please get a double chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and chocolate syrup?" Lance asked politely. The waiter scribbled something in his notepad. 

"Of course. Coming right up!" The waiter nodded, smiled, and returned to the front. 

"A chocolate milkshake? Before dinner? This is why you're my favorite, Lance." Matt said, reaching over Shiro to give Lance a high five. Pidge rolled her eyes. 

“Hey, be careful. That kinda stuff will go right to his head.” Hunk said and shot Matt a grin. 

The doorbell jingled once again and Keith entered the diner. His hair was damp and there were wet patches on his shoulders from where his hair dripped dry. He squinted, looking across the room in search of his friends. His face relaxed when he spotted them. He walked over and sat down next to Lance. 

"Sorry I'm late. I was covered in car grease. This old guy brought in his disgusting old pickup truck with an engine problem. Turns out, a penny had fallen into the hood of the car and was blocking the oil. I had to reach all the way in and get it out. Then he insisted on getting the penny back and not even tipping me! I mean, what an asshole! His truck wasn't even that nice!" Keith ranted. 

Hunk looked up from his menu, "Was that the purple one?"

"Yeah! His truck was fucking purple with super tinted windows. I mean, how tacky!" Keith put his head in his hand and snatched the menu out of Pidge's hands. She sighed in defeat. 

"Yeah he comes in a lot. Always has something stuck in the engine. Tips like shit too. His name is something really dumb. It doesn't even sound real. Something with a Z or a K?"

Keith wheezed, "Oh! Zarkon! Poor guy! His parents must've hated him!"

"Sometimes be brings his wife with him. I remember she used to be really nice and all. Ever since the Zarkon guy," Hunk had to stop and collect himself before he laughed at the name again "Came around, she's been kinda distant and angry." 

"Probably drugs." 

"Definitely drugs." Hunk laughed. 

A different waiter, this time a tall, fit girl with short hair and chunky earrings, walked over to the table. “Hi everyone! My name is Shay and I’ll be your server today? Can I start y’all out with anything to drink?” Hunk’s face began to flush a bit. Pidge snickered and elbowed Hunk in the side. 

Shay took everyone’s order and quickly walked away, smiling slightly. Matt turned to Hunk, “Hey buddy what was that all about?” He asked with a smirk. 

Hunk sputtered, “Wh-? What? That? Pshhhh, nothing! Nothing at all! I’m perfectly fine! Everything is fine!” 

Lance looked up from folding his napkin into a hat, “Is that why you come here all the time?” 

“Wait how often do you come here?” Pidge exclaimed. 

“I just really like the wings!” Hunk held up his hands in defense. 

“You didn’t even get wings!” Said Lance. 

Hunk opened his mouth as if to protest, but shut it quickly and slouched down in the booth. 

Moments later, the same blue-eyed waiter returned to the table with Lance’s milkshake. Lance immediately began to gulp down the chocolatey drink. 

“Hey, I think something is stuck to the bottom of your shake.” Keith said. 

Lance lifted up the glass and peeled off a folded piece of paper. He opened it to reveal ten digits and a name. 

“Oh my god, the waiter gave you his number, didn’t he?” Romelle exclaimed from the other side of the table.

“Maybe,” Lance puffed out his chest, “What if I did?” Hunk high-fived him across the table. 

“Well, are you gonna call him?” Shiro asked. 

Lance shrugged and grinned ear to ear, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Oh, come on! You gotta give us something!” Keith complained. 

“You’re just jealous because I pull and you don’t!” Lance bragged. 

“Pfffft, you don’t know anything about me!” Keith retaliated. 

“I know plenty! I see all!”

“Oh yeah? Then what’s my last name?” Keith fired, eyebrow cocked. 

Lance’s mouth hung open and his knitted his eyebrows in deep concentration. He hesitated for a moment before he slowly said “Garrison?”

“Do I look like a Garrison to you?” 

“Well, I don’t know!”

“You just said that-!”

Keith was immediately interrupted by Pidge, “Are you two going to argue like that all evening? If so, let me order some popcorn because this is entertainment.”

“Hey!” The bickering boys exclaimed.

“I’m just saying, the sexual tension at that end of the table is suffocating, even from over here. Can you breathe alright down there, Shiro?” 

Both boys were fuming and sulking like hell. Shiro was laughing harder than ever and Lance death-glared Pidge. 

Shay returned to the table, expertly carrying at least four plates, “I come bearing gifts!” She passed around everyone’s food and swiftly left. 

“Hey, Hunk, there goes your girlfriend!” Lance teased, drawing out the ‘girlfriend’ part. 

Hunk quickly interrupted him, “Shut up! Anyways, there’s a movie coming out next week and I think we should all go see it!” 

“Whath ith cawd?” Keith asked through a mouthful of food. 

“God, were you raised in a barn?” Lance asked in disgust. 

Keith made a mocking face in return and swallowed his food, “What’s it called?”

“It’s called ‘A New Leaf’ and it’s playing at the theater downtown next Saturday at 7:30!” Hunk replied after slurping his soda. 

“Speaking of next week, are we eating at Matt’s house again? Because I can’t afford to eat out every week and go to a movie.” Lance looked in his wallet. 

“You’re fine, Allura’s uncle is paying tonight!” Shiro explained. 

Lance’s face lit up, “Really?” He turned to Allura, “You and your uncle are amazing!” 

“I’ll make sure to tell him!” She replied with a gracious smile. 

“Tell me what?” The man with the red hair and mustache stood at the end of the table. 

Lance reached over Keith to grab Coran’s hands and thank him profusely, “Thank you so much! I am forever in your debt!” 

“Don’t be dramatic, Lance!” Hunk reminded him. 

“No worries, it’s nice to meet another young man with a flair for theatrics!” Coran raised an eyebrow and pulled a dramatic pose. 

“Yes, sir!” Lance beamed. 

“Anyways, I’ll leave you to your meals. If you need anything, just ask for Coran!” He put his hands behind his back and walked away regally. 

“He’s a cool guy!” Lance exclaimed. 

“You have no idea.” Allura chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!!


	7. Too Much Popcorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look another update bc i suddenly have time and motivation?

"One ticket for 'A New Leaf' please," Keith half grunted at the cashier at the movie theater, "And a large coke." The beanpole of a cashier, who wore a name tag reading 'Bobbi' turned to fill a cup with coke and print a ticket. Keith slapped some cash on the counter and walked away, sipping his drink. 

"Hey, Keith! Hurry up, you're late!" The tan boy in the straw hat and the large popcorn waved at him from outside the door. 

"You're not that much earlier than me, you know." Keith cocked an eyebrow and slurped the coke in his hand. 

"Still beat you, buddy!" Lance grinned. They both headed into the theatre. The theater was packed and everyone turned to see who was cutting it so close to the start of the movie. Keith scanned the judgmental eyes of the audience until he spotted Hunk's face. He walked around Lance, who followed him towards the three empty seats beside Hunk. Quickly, Lance moved past Keith on his way down the aisle. 

After sitting down, another man claimed the last seat in the theatre, right next to Keith. He wore long, sleek hair, a turtleneck (in the summer?), and a snotty look on his face. 

Lance quickly began to (loudly) munch away at his buttery popcorn. 

"Are you going to eat all your popcorn before the movie even starts?" Keith grabbed the edge of Lance's tub of popcorn and looked inside. Half of the large popcorn was gone. 

Lance snatched his bucket back and hissed , "Shut up, the movie is starting!" Keith rolled his eyes and sunk down in his seat. The movie theatre was packed. Critics were raving about "A New Leaf", calling it the love story of the century. Keith wasn't particularly interested in a movie with these kind of reviews. 

The movie was barely starting when Lance leaned over to whisper something to Keith. "That beeping is getting really annoying."

Keith couldn't help but agree. The rapidly increasing frequency of the beeps aligning with a heart monitor onscreen began to irk Keith, especially now that Lance had pointed it out. 

Two men in lab coats were staring at something offscreen while a third in a suit watched them intently. Lance found this hilarious and had to tell Keith, "Oh, shit, is someone dying?"

The beeping stopped and the camera panned out to reveal the three men in a fancy mechanic garage. "Oops they're not doctors! Hey, you're a mechanic! Do the cars beep like that?" 

Keith peeled his eyes away from the movie to stare at Lance, "No? I don't know if any of our equipment that does that!" 

"Mm, you're not fancy like those guys." Lance shrugged and leaned back into his own seat. 

Minutes passed before Lance cracked another joke, "Why does he look like that? Why is she wearing a sheet for a dress?" Keith snickered at the comment. The leading lady had think glasses and a sheet draped across her body as a wedding dress. It was silly, but funny. 

Snide comments and shushed laughter was exchanged until they were interrupted by the man beside Keith, "Do you mind not making insolent comments?" He sneered at Lance across Keith. "I'm trying to watch the movie."

"Hey, I'll have you know, his comments are hilarious and I quite enjoy them!" Keith whispered in a seething tone. 

The man looked heavily offended, crossing his arms and focusing even more intently on the movie in front of them than before. 

Lance leaned over with a smirk, "Aww, Keithy likes my jokes!" 

Keith elbowed him in the side, "Don't push your luck, Lance." He said with less bite to his words than he'd ever used with him. Lance smile, rolled his eyes and leaned back to his own seat. 

Three fourths of the way into the movie and countless jokes later, Lance began clicking his tongue and smacking his lips. He did so rather loudly. Keith began to get annoyed, "Dude, are you alright?" 

"I ate too much popcorn and now my mouth feels funny. Can I have a sip of your coke?" 

Keith picked up his almost-empty cup and shook it to gauge how much remained, "There's not much, but go ahead."

Lance grabbed the cup and began to slurp the sugary liquid down quickly. "Hey! Slow down, that's mine!" Keith exclaimed. He tried to snatch the cup back but barely got a hold onto it, sending the remnants of the soda to the ground. It was mostly ice at this point. 

Neither could contain their laughter. Everyone turned to shush them, but that only escalated the hilarity of the situation. Hunk, being the angel he is, passed down a stack of napkins. Lance took half and handed the rest to Keith. They threw the ice and soaked napkins back in the oversized cup and closed the lid, still snickering quietly. 

<+>

The end credits rolled across the screen. The man beside Keith hastily stood up and left. The audience filed out, laughing and conversing about the movie. The humid night air hit them like a truck in comparison to the cool theater. 

"Oh, my god, it's so dark!" Lance exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. 

"Wow, Lance, it's almost as if it's almost 10 pm!" Keith said from beside him. 

Lance whiningly copied Keith, who in turn, did the same. This repeated until it was a cycle of childish, but good-natured, mockery. 

"How did everyone like the movie?" Hunk asked. The group had stopped and gathered on the sidewalk. 

"I thought it was hilarious!" Romelle giggled at the memory of the movie. 

"I agree! It was really well done, too!" Shiro added. 

"Hey, Lance! Did you like the part when the purple aliens attacked Earth and almost breath them but then there were magical alien robot cats?" Pidge asked. 

Lance didn't think twice before adding a simple agreement, "Yeah, loved it." He was engrossed in an apparently riveting conversation with Keith that had both of them clutching their stomachs with laughter. Pidge raised an eyebrow at this. 

"Anyways, Pidge and I need to head on. See you guys later!" Matt waved goodbye and turned to leave, little sister at his side. 

"Hey, Matt, you know what I find really interesting?" Pidge asked, a thoughtful look on her face. 

"What?"

She bought a bit before answering, "There were no aliens in that movie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need for validation and are always appreciated!!


	8. Sk8r Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three updates within two weeks? who am i?

The roller rink sign lit up the heated evening air. Dark storm clouds moved swiftly in the sky. Though it was getting dark, the world beneath the clouds was still somewhat lit, creating a strange atmosphere. The Florida heat and humidity didn't ease up, which made Keith mildly uncomfortable in his leather jacket. 

"Beat you inside, Kogane!" Lance quickly ran past Keith, holding his hat. He ran towards the rink, which was blasting upbeat music audible from the parking lot. 

Keith ran to catch up, "In your dreams, Lance!" He yelled, passing Lance with a smirk. Lance broke into a sprint, quickly overtaking Keith. Both of them were way ahead of the rest of their crowd. 

They almost ran into the door. "Guess dreams do come true." Lance laughed, eyes twinkling in the dusk light. 

"Why do you even have your own roller skates?" Keith asked, motioning to the blue skates in Lance's hand. They walked back towards the desk to rent a pair of skates for Keith. 

"Why don't you have roller skates?" 

"Because, uh?" Keith couldn't come up with an answer. Why didn't he have roller skates?

"That's what I thought." Lance shot back with a grin. 

Keith retrieved a pair of skates from the desk and put his bag on a table with Lance's. Lance was already tying his skates. "Man, I can't wait to skate again. I haven't been able to in so long!"

It was only at this moment that Keith remembered he had no idea how to skate. Now, the wheels seemed like death traps just waiting to pull him to the floor. Keith decided the best way to handle this was to not tell anyone and just wing it. How hard could roller skating be?

Lance stood up and gracefully skated around the table with a giddy smile on his face. It was cute. Not that Keith found Lance cute. Smiling objectively makes someone more attractive. Science said so, right?

Keith tried his hand at standing up. His legs wobbled and his arms swung, trying to keep him upright. 

"Dude, you good?" Lance asked as he reached out to try and help steady him. Keith almost took Lance's hands, but pulled them away as he finally gained a sliver of balance. 

"I'm fine, just been a while since I've skated. Just give me a second to get used to it."

At this point, the rest of the gang was heading towards the table with their skates. To avoid further embarrassment, Keith tried to get to the rink as fast as possible. He began to fall backwards, so he leaned forward a little too far. The he began to fall that way, so he leaned back. This beginning a vicious cycle of 'is Keith going to fall and make a fool of himself?'

He was almost halfway to the rink when his feet slipped out from under him and he fell flat on his ass. Lance rolled up beside him and squatted to look him in the eye, "Keith, do you know how to skate?" Lance whispered in a concerned tone. 

"Uhhhh"

"You didn't even make it halfway to the rink."

"No, I can't skate."

"That's alright. I'll teach you!" Lance stood back up and extended a hand to Keith. 

Keith looked up into Lance's sky blue eyes, and couldn't help but crack a smile, "Thanks."

Keith took Lance's hand and tried to pull himself up. He was still very wobbly and couldn't move from the spot without falling over. Slowly, but surely, he straightened his legs. His legs were shaking like crazy, and Keith didn't waste any time clutching onto Lance's arm. 

"Careful, that's my arm, not yours!" Lance laughed. Keith rolled his eyes at the joke. 

Keith felt his legs begin to slip out from under him again. Lance felt it too, and put Keith's arm over his shoulder for support, "Let's at least make it to the rink, first. You can fall all you want once we get there." Lance teased. Keith snorted this time. 

The rink was slicker than the table area, which proved to make skating ten times more difficult  than Keith thought it would be. 

Suddenly, Lance disappeared from under Keith's arm. Keith gripped onto the wall to keep from falling. He watched Lance skate a full lap around the rink. Multicolored lights flashed from the disco ball hanging down off the ceiling. Lance still wore his straw hat, even in the dim light. Disco lights danced across his face, his smile radiating its own electric light. Keith was entranced. By the lights, right?

"Ready to skate, Keith?" Lance asked, slowing to a stop beside him. Keith gaped like a fish. He blinked and snapped out of it. 

"Yeah, ready as I'll ever be!" Keith laughed nervously.

"Alright, so you want to keep one leg steady, while the other pushes backwards, so the little circular thing on the toe of your skate catches on the floor and propels you forward. Make sense?" Lance almost yelled over the disco music playing over the speakers. 

Keith nodded and tried to replicate what Lance told him. As soon as his right foot left the floor behind him, he started to fall forward. Luckily, Lance was right there beside him to catch him before he fell. 

Keith realized that Lance only supporting him on one side wasn't going to work, and so did Lance. Lance swung out in front of Keith and grabbed both of his hands. Keith's eyes widened in surprise, and he was thankful for the darkness and the fact that Lance was staring at Keith's feet, which were trying in vain to find purchase on the floor. 

Lance looked up and said something that Keith didn't hear. Up close, Lance's smile wasn't the only glowing feature of his face. His eyes were bright and comforting. They reached into Keith's soul and tried to pull his secrets out, and almost succeeded. "-Eith? Are you alright? I said 'You hold on like this, so you don't fall and just try to skate'."

Keith snapped back to reality, "Yeah, that, uh, that sounds good!" Keith hadn't stumbled over his words like that since he was a child. He began to try skating forward. He bent his knees; he felt safer with a shorter distance between his ass and the floor in case he fell. Keith looked up to see if Lance was alright, because he thought he was going to squeeze Lance's hands so hard they'd explode. Lance only offered reassuring looks. 

Keith began to fall forward. He subconsciously pressed his hands downward to try and break his fall, but Lance's grip kept him steady. Lance pulled his hands upward, bringing Keith with them. He brought Keith's hands high and said to him over the loud music, "You got this! You're doing amazing!" The encouraging words sent a small shiver down Keith's spine and a goofy smile to his face. 

Keith stood straight up so quickly it sent him off balance. He started to fall backwards. In the heat of the moment, Keith forgot that he was still gripping Lance's hands.  The boys tumbled backwards. Keith landed on his backside with his arms behind him. Lance landed very close to Keith. Basically, the only thing that kept Lance from face planting into Keith's crotch was his hands on either side of Keith's legs. 

Time froze and Keith panicked. He tried to scoot backwards, but got no traction from the bottom of his skates. Lance just laughed and leaned back, but did so after just a split second too long of being too close. 

Lance stood up and offered Keith a hand once again, "Wanna go sit down and take our skates off before you fall and break your neck? Maybe get some snacks?"

Keith took his hand and pulled himself up as best as he could, "Alright." Surely, Keith's face was redder than the stripe on his bike by now. Lance didn't seem to notice as he guided Keith off the rink, Keith's hand clutching his for dear life. 

<+>

Keith’s headlights pierced through the muggy night. The radio played softly in the minivan Keith drove Shiro and himself home from the skating rink in. He reached over and turned it off, “Hey, Shiro, can I tell you something?”

“I don’t know why you ask, you’ll do it anyways,” Shiro responded groggily, tired from roller skating late into the night. Keith was less tired, having spent less time skating and more time talking and eating with Lance. 

“Oh, shut up! I’m being serious, here!”

“Alright, alright. Go ahead.”

Keith gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath, “Shiro, I think I’m in love with Lance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!!


	9. I Won’t Say I’m in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi so it’s been almost two months but here i am and here’s a chapter

Monday mornings had always been the hardest to get up for. Regardless, Keith lay awake. His covers were pushed away and he stared upwards. He'd been watching a spot of light from the sun creep ever so slowly across the ceiling. 

His clock read 6:57 am. It had been exactly seven hours and three minutes since he fell in love with Lance McClain, or rather, when he realized it. Maybe he'd been in love with him the whole time? Maybe he'd fallen for Lance when he almost hit him with his car? Anyways, Keith only knew the exact time because his watch broke when he fell. He could get it fixed, but he'd rather not. 

His mind was void of everything except the memory of the boy in the straw hat. The look of his sapphire eyes nearly glowing in the lowlight of the roller skating rink was piercing. The feeling of his incredibly soft hands keeping Keith (mostly) off the floor was electric. The sound of his beautiful and infectious laugh was still ringing in his ears. 

His mind had been on Lance for seven hours and seven hours and five minutes now. Keith also hadn't slept in way longer than that. 

The sharp ring of the alarm clock now meant that it was acceptable for Keith to be awake. Earlier, Keith had been pacing and muttering not-so-quietly under his breath, much to Shiro's annoyance. Shiro made Keith at least sit in his bunk quietly. 

Keith practically leapt out of his bed and off the top bunk. His feet hit the floor with a thud and a slight creak of the floor, easily waking Shiro up. 

"Awake? Again? Already?" Shiro groaned. 

"Shiro, sleep was not on the menu last night," Keith exclaimed. 

Shiro snorted, "Spend all night pining after Lance?"

"Shhhhh! Pidge will hear! You know she doesn't sleep either!" 

Shiro laughed, "Yeah, you're right," he moved to a whisper, "But, really, still love him?"

"God, yes! I- I can't get him out of my mind. I've got to tell him somehow!"

"Why don't you talk to Pidge about it? She knows him like the back of her hand!"

Keith thought about it for a second, "No way, she can't keep a secret to save her life unless there's something in it for her."

"What about Hunk? He seems like a good guy!"

"Yeah, yeah! I'll ask Hunk! He lives with Lance! He'll definitely know how to win him over!"

Shiro put his head back on his pillow and yelled into it, "Ok, now go to work so I can go back to sleep." 

Keith's normal routine was a blur until the hair sticking out of the bottom of his helmet like a frilly collar tickled his neck as it whipped around in the wind. 

On his way to work, he took the long way and rode by the beach, hoping to see Lance in the big lifeguard chair. He had no such luck. However, the loud purr of his bike turned heads from the streets and on the shore.

He turned his bike into the parking lot and quickly hopped off the bike. He almost fell while trying to take his helmet off in the process. 

Hunk walked out of the garage, wiping his hands on a rag, "Dude, you're here, like, ten minutes before you normally are!"

"Hunk-"

"Woah, your eye bags are insane! Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Hunk, I'm gay and-"

"Thank you for telling me, but I had a feeling. It means a lot that you trust me with-"

"Hunk, I'm gay and I think I'm in love with Lance!" Keith finally spit it out in between Hunk's ramblings. Hunk fell silent. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

"Aw, I'm so proud of you two!" A huge grin split across Hunk's face. 

"Proud of us two? We aren't even together!"

"Yeah, yeah, but at least one of you isn't repressing your emotions and that's a good thing!" 

Keith crossed his arms, "Do you think he likes me, too?"

Hunk shrugged, "I don't know. Sometimes he can be hard to read with relationships," Keith's face fell, "But, I know he never called the waiter from the diner back! When I asked him about it he shrugged and said 'not my type' so you've got-" Hunk began to cough violently. It sounded like his lungs were attacking him from the inside out. 

"Hunk, are you alright?" Keith was concerned for his friend, who was doubled over. 

Hunk stopped coughing and cleared his throat, "Yeah, I think I'm just coming down with something. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"What were you saying before you started hacking up a lung?" Keith asked, only mildly anxious for the response. 

"I was going to say that you've got a chance! He's not seeing anyone and he's got plenty of free time," Hunk answered. 

Keith grinned, "Really? I mean, do you really think he likes me back?"

"Don't worry about it! Whether or not he likes you, you still get to hang out with him all summer!"

"Wait, so what should I do?" Keith was just a bit on edge now. 

"I'd try and build a good foundation with him! He values his connections with other people more than anything, except for his family, I think." 

A car pulled up to the garage with a loud, clanking sound that was unnatural for a car. Hunk began to cough again. 

"I'll take this one. Thanks for all your help!" Keith smiled and patted Hunk on the back, trying to ease his cough. 

Hunk, still in the midst of his violent coughing fit, was unable to speak and threw Keith a thumbs up. 

<+>

The sun was nearing the horizon, washing the sky in warm ribbons of color. Meanwhile, Keith raced up the steps to Matt's house, buzzing with happiness.

"Shiro! I told Hunk about it and he thinks I have a chance with La-!" Keith began excitedly. He stopped short when he realized that Shiro wasn't the only one in the room. Matt and Pidge seemed to be in the middle of channel surfing and Shiro held a spoonful of cereal midway between his bowl and open mouth. All three of them had now paused their activities to stare at Keith. 

They were all frozen and nobody spoke until Matt broke the silence, "Keith what were you going to-?"

"He said that Hunk thinks that Keith has a chance with someone!" Pidge quickly interrupted her brother. The Holts gasped loudly. 

"Oh my god, I think he was going to say Lance! Keith do you have a crush on Lance?" Matt continued. 

"W-what? No I-no I don't!" Keith looked to Shiro for backup. Shiro just poignantly avoided eye contact, kept eating his cereal despite and pretended to read a newspaper from a week ago despite the fact it was nearly 7:00 in the evening. 

"You totally do!" Pidge yelled. 

Keith finally gave in, "Okay, fine! I have a big, fat crush on Lance! Are you happy, now?"

Pidge and Matt turned to smirk at each other, silently plotting until Matt asked, with a devious smile, "Do you want our help getting your man?" The smirk was evidently genetic, as Pidge bore the same look. 

Keith glared at them in horror, "Oh, god, no."

"Good choice." Shiro added without taking his eyes off the newspaper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> kudos, comments, and bookmarks fuel my need to be validated and are always appreciated!!


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